When entering inspection results in Busabase, a value of zero means the inspection was completed and no defects were found. An empty value might mean the inspection has not happened or the result has not been entered. What is a clear way to represent these differences? Should I keep the numeric field empty and use a separate inspection status, especially if the records will later be summarized?
Yes. Keep Defect count as an optional number: 0 means an inspection happened and found no defects; empty means there is no confirmed numeric result. Add an independent Inspection status such as not scheduled / scheduled / performed-awaiting-entry / recorded, plus inspection date and reviewer if useful. That separates “not inspected” from “inspected but result missing” instead of forcing both into one blank cell.
For example, a completed inspection with no defects is status = recorded, count = 0. A visit that happened but whose report has not arrived is status = performed-awaiting-entry, count empty. In views and summaries, filter to status = recorded when calculating defect rates; do not silently replace blanks with zero. A simple formula can flag inconsistent combinations for review, but the Base does not automatically enforce every cross-field rule at save time, so inspect those exceptions before publishing totals.
Ask your agent: “Never turn a missing defect count into zero. Preserve blank values, set the status from the source evidence, and list contradictory or incomplete records for review.” Does an empty count ever mean “not applicable” in your inspections? If so, give that a separate status too.
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